Microsoft Makes Azure OpenAI Service Available in Azure Government

In a move that could have significant implications for how the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. government agencies use artificial intelligence, Microsoft has made its Azure OpenAI service available in the Azure Government cloud platform. The Azure OpenAI services included in Azure Government will allow public sector customers to utilize OpenAI models and AI services at the unclassified level.

Microsoft clarifies that the Azure OpenAI services are currently in submission for FedRAMP High accreditation with the Joint Authorization Board (JAB). Azure OpenAI services will also be submitted for Department of Defense (DoD) Impact Level (IL) 4 and 5 accreditation.

Azure Government is Microsoft’s purpose-built cloud platform for U.S. DoD, federal agencies, and state and local public sector customers. It follows the same “GovCloud” model that AWS pioneered.

DoD Prioritizes AI and Generative AI Adoption

The demand across the public sector for AI and generative AI capabilities is increasing as the technology matures. More C-level executives realize the benefits and efficiency gains of adopting AI and Generative AI but mainly contain the deployments to experimental, non-production environments.

The Department of Defense established a generative AI task force, Task Force Lima, in 2023 specifically to explore the adoption of cutting-edge technologies across defense branches. For example, large language models (LLMs) provide the DoD with a rapid way to understand and extract essential summarization of archival data for future analysis. Other U.S. agencies could allow increased access to searchable documentation available to the public.

Strict security and compliance guidelines that the DoD and broader public sector rely on, FedRAMP and DISA Impact Levels, have remained a barrier to adopting AI and generative AI technologies for sensitive data or Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).

However, Azure OpenAI technologies within FedRAMP High, IL4, and IL5 boundaries will substantially open the door to adoption.

Microsoft ensures that prompts and proprietary data aren’t used to train any Azure OpenAI models, addressing top customer concerns of intellectual property, data privacy, and data integrity.

The DoD and Pentagon need to rapidly explore the adoption of AI and generative AI as geopolitical concerns escalate around the globe. The Pentagon continues to revise its overarching AI strategy as programs such as the Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) and the new Replicator initiative serve to counter China by fielding thousands of autonomous systems within multiple domains within the next two years.